Today we started off class by defining the centuries and the early to high parts of the Renaissance. We defined that contemporary art in this period was deemed more modern and that humanism the study of human works etc was a form of art being used in this time. After defining a few terms we picked up with printing and its introduction to Italy in 1464. We broke down the period we were in to start understanding how the wart was handled and created being that artists were now starting to become known. We elaborate on merchants and bankers governing, the roles of the guilds, and the many associations such as Arte di Calimala. We shifted our session back to a contest held that was to see who would create the panel. The winner was Ghiberti, who led Burnechelli on to become an architect and create the Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Ospedale degli Innocenti, and also figured out ratios. We then talked about how Donatello used the tiles on the floor as a starting point and a vanishing line. We then discussed how the illusions of his sculpture lead the audience to see movement and depth. We then broke down his linear perspective which created the perception of illusions.

In today’s class, we finished the 14th century by finishing off the well of Moses. We wrapped up the sculpture by talking about its importance and illusionistic theme. That form of sculpting was an important part of the North in the 14th and 15th centuries. After the Well of Moses, we moved to disguised symbolism, which was used prominently during the time. A known great artist Jan Van Eyck created “The Arnolfini Portrait” which we dissected and pointed out all of the symbols to understand the painting. We inspected the small details like the shoes, the setting, the fruits, the dog, and other small details. We were able to convey that the portrait was of a wedding that was a holy scene that was not witnessed by all but a priest and one other person. We then shift to Rogier Van Der Weyden a prodigy of Van Eyck who created “ St. Luke Drawing the Virgin ”. We discussed the modern tech being used by St. Luke in the portrait that was held in a contemporary Nothern Europe. After dissecting the piece of art we then moved to Conrad Witz’s commission of “ The Miraculous Draught of Fishes ” which we also inspected for disguised symbols. We then wrapped up the lecture with printmaking.

In class, we discussed the 13th and 14 century Madonna and Child art pieces by Ciambue and Giotto. During the lecture, we could point out small important details that showed the different representations and meanings of the paintings. In Ciambue’s piece, he positions the angels holding the throne and the Madonna delivering her child Jesus. While Ciambue chose to use the angels in an assisting fashion in Giottos it stood out to me that he chose to position the angels surrounding the Madonna and child. These two differences were also valuable details we talked about in class. We also discussed the significance of the bright rings around the heads of the figures in paintings, which represent their righteousness. We also elaborate on how some higher-ranked families that collected art would take an inventory of all their belongings such as art, castles, and its inhabitants. They would usually do this in the form of art by portraying a good bad government that was established by the Limburg brothers.

We began class by discussing again the idea of the universal man, a man with many different interests and developed skills in many fields. One classic example of a renaissance man would be Michalengelo. He believed in neoplatonism, or the belief that the world is imperfect but ideas could be perfect and were attainable without waiting for the afterlife. Because of this belief, Michelangelo’s favorite medium was stone because he could create something perfect out of stone, something rough and full of flaws. 

We then discussed some of the characteristics of Mannerism, like elongated figures and androgyny. We looked at some of Michalengelo’s later work and how it showed the beginning of a divergence from renaissance ideas. The change to mannerism could have been because of a time of upheaval in Florence and the continual sacking of Rome.There is also more of an emphasis on the decorative element and less on a clear and realistic composition, as well as less primary colors and more colors that don’t exist in nature. We then looked at a few examples such as the Madonna of the long Neck

I wasn’t here for this class, but as always, I have my thoughts on the artists covered in the powerpoint! I want to focus on Botticelli and da Vinci.

Two Botticelli pieces were covered in the reading: Primavera and The Birth of Venus. I found it very interesting how the Primavera seems to reference the writings of a Neo-Platonist philosopher, whose writings were popular amongst the Medici court at the time. I personally think that Venus here is the epitome of the female beauty standard of the time: modestly clothed, and gently gesturing.

The Birth of Venus remains one of my favorite works of art of all time. I love how the shadow modeling and outlining make a sort of low-relief effect instead of a three-dimensional one (what we are more used to seeing in this class!)

There were SEVERAL da Vinci works covered in the reading, so I’ll try and make this brief. I found both portraits featured (Portrait of Ginerva de Benci, and the Mona Lisa) to be particularly striking due to their break from the norms of portraiture of the time (instead of an interior setting, a landscape; 3/4ths profile; simple garb as opposed to jewelry).

Both The Virgin of the Rocks and The Mona Lisa were incredible examples of sfumato.

Three pen drawings by da Vinci were featured in the reading; my main takeaway from these was da Vinci’s status as an intellectual (his study of Greek physician Galen and Roman architect Vitruvius), which we can see by his intense focus on anatomy and ancient forms.

I love how The Last Supper highlights the subject (Jesus) in subtle but extremely impactful ways (the central vanishing point being behind Jesus, the opening in the wall behind him symbolizing a halo, and the natural light that frames him). I also love how the spatial setting of the painting annexes the room that it is located in. Additionally, the characterization of each member of the supper allows for tension.

I was not here for this class, but I took a look at the powerpoint and the readings, and here are some of my thoughts.

The majority of my attention from Chapter 15.1 was drawn to the works of Masaccio, particularly his frescoes on the Brancacci Chapel walls. I found it extremely fascinating how The Tribute Money’s perspective links the painting’s space to the viewer’s via modeling light based on the real light sources in the chapel. Compared to previous works we have studied, I found the poses of the subjects in The Tribute Money to be more static, however, this didn’t take away from the tension of the piece, as the expressions are intense, and the sparing usage of strong gestures communicates drama.

The next fresco covered in the textbook was The Expulsion from Paradise. I personally loved how this piece highlighted the beauty of the nude human form through its depictions of Adam and Eve.

Class began with discussing the work of Michelangelo, a true “uomo universale,” renaissance man. Throughout the high renaissance, he was a painter, engineer, and poet, but was most famed as a sculptor. One of his most known sculptures is his version of the Pietá, sculpted from marble and waxed to an incredible smoothness. The scene of Mary holding Christ’s body after his death is depicted by just the two of them and focuses on their emotional connection. A young, serene Mary looks down on her grown son across her lap. The pyramidal composition of the structure allows this to be possible, with flowing fabric from Mary’s outfit creating the pedestal. Even Christ appears to have had a quiet death, with barely visible wounds from his crucifixion. Overall, Mary’s expression of faith and peace gives the sculpture the sense of harmony and balance that was desired throughout the Renaissance.

In the late Renaissance, Mannerism became a popular style and saw the evolution of Michelangelo as an artist. His work on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel saw him experimenting with materials and creating a sense of 3D space with pillars and overlapping characters. Even today, visitors to the chapel spend most of their time staring at the ceiling to appreciate Michelangelo’s scenes of The Creation. As for Mannerism, it focuses less on ideal depictions of reality and influenced scenes without harmony, abstraction, and serpentine forms. The Rape of the Sabines is a famous example of the skill of the era but also the twisting of human forms that was popular.

class seven-28-feb

In class today we discussed how the idea of the “universal man” came to popularity during the renaissance… this is not to say that this kind of person, with multiple talents and areas of interest was not existent before the renaissance but the popularity is what blew up during the time. Michelangelo was an example of a renaissance man. Michelangelo also was a follower of the ideals of  Neoplatonism (the world is imperfect but ideals can be perfect and are above the world. This set of beliefs interlocks with the idea of Christianity that earth is a shit show and we are trying to get to the perfect heaven.) these ideals tie into Michelangelo thinking stone carving was the peek of art as he is refining something rough and full of flaws, (stone/marble) and making it “perfect” 

Another thing we discussed is the key features off the renaissance, being balance, harmony and ideal forms and compositions. 

Mannerism is what faded in towards the end of the high renaissance. Its defining parts are human forms in motion, they are often elongated and it is unclear who what age, gender they are and where they are standing in the painting. Because of the image being moistly filled with people the moment the painting is depicting can be unclear as well. The transition to mannerism is possibly from a time of upheaval in Florence and the sacking of Rome. 

In today’s class, we talked about Michelangelo. He was an Italian Renaissance painter born in 1475 and an influential sculptor, artist, and architect. We spoke of the High Renaissance period of Michelangelo’s work first. His contemporary art at this time embodied the ideal artist and Neo-Platonism. A lot of his pieces were made in solitary, and that’s how he liked it. One of his well-known pieces was the Pietà, a sculpture created in 1498-1500. This sculpture was an elegant marble piece of Jesus and Mary. It was derived from the Roettgen Pietà, which came from the more significant scene of Giotto’s Lamentation in 1305-10. I enjoy Michelangelo’s piece of Jesus and Mary the best because of the fine detail of the marble and polish.
We then moved into the late Michelangelo period. During this time, the difference in his artworks from high to late Renaissance, was the use of colors . Thus, Michelangelo used secondary colors that were dimmed down and not primary. Michelangelo also demonstrated Mannerism art. This idea was brought up in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance. Mannerism art differed from high Renaissance art in its approach to harmonious ideals. Mannerism art was chaotic, bright, and had no space, while high Renaissance art had balance, proportion, and beauty. I enjoyed looking at Parmigianio’s Madonna with the Long Neck, made in 1534-40, because it was unusual and off-putting. The man in the right corner looking small rather than far away and Jesus looking rather large for a baby was what Mannerism was illustrated to be.

Since today was my day to type up class notes for our shared doc, I feel as though I’ve already been able to begin reflecting on our class today! We picked up where we had left off with the High Renaissance, finishing our discussion of sculptural works by Michelangelo. We didn’t talk much about Awakening Prisoners, but this is a work I have been able to see in person. I loved how Professor Plesch used the idea of extracting the idea from within the marble to describe this work, because that if exactly how it is laid out within the gallery in Florence. It sits among a series of other Prisoners, each one progressing more and more away from the solid stone and into its human form. We wrapped up the Renaissance section by recapping the main themes (ideal forms, harmony, balance, and pyramidal form) before moving on to Mannerism.

Some of Michelangelo’s later works were reflective of the new concepts included in Mannerism. The Creation of Adam section of the Sistine Chapel ceiling stood out to me, especially since it is an image that is so easily recognizable and iconic to the Sistine Chapel. I visited the Vatican last year but was unable to go into the Sistine Chapel as it was the week leading up to Easter and all tickets were sold out. It is certainly a work I would love to return to see at some point in my life. In the mannerist works, we see a departure from the order and harmony of the Renaissance. Instead, artists focus on decorative elements, elongation of forms, and overall complexity.